car down there, as if I did "it was
likely that the car would stop some pieces of metal." There was
nothing for it but to walk down the road leading to the recently
captured village. It was very dark, but star-shells, with their
weird green light, would illuminate the countryside every five
minutes or so. In the darkness one could vaguely discern the
shape of the first-line transport wagons taking up rations to the
trenches, and small columns of silently marching men, and now and
then a motor lorry belonging to some ammunition park. Presently,
after what seemed an interminable walk, I found the battery, who
themselves had only just arrived, and executed my job in a
half-ruined house. To get back to my car I borrowed a horse and
rode part of the way with a number of led horses, which, having
brought up the guns, were going back to the wagon line.

On getting to my car I decided that my best road to return would
be to go straight along into a certain large town, instead of the
route we'd come by. As we spun along a voice from the darkness
hailed us: "Have you room for an officer?" We at once pulled up
and told him to jump in. Poor devil! he was almost in a state of
collapse and talked wildly. He had been six months in the
trenches, and had just come out of them in a half-hysterical
state. I had to speak to him pretty firmly before he could pull
himself together. We took him to his destination, and he was most
grateful for the lift.

It was an uncanny experience, this wandering about in the
darkness in desolate regions a few hundred yards from the
trenches. In this grim struggle there is none of the glory and
pomp of war as exhibited in the days of old, when rival armies
met amid the blare of trumpets and the waving of standards. The
pageantry of war is gone. We have now war in all its fierceness,
grime and cold-bloodedness without any picturesque glamour or
romance. Can you wonder that in such conditions civilised human
nature out here swiftly changes and is replaced by elemental
savagery?

In December, 1915, Paul Jones had short leave, and spent six days at
home. He took advantage of the opportunity to have a game of football
on the familiar arena in Dulwich, playing for the Old Alleynians
against the College 1st XV.